Following the bycatch

Bycatch outside the Brandenburg Gate

Hi Thilo again, updating you on some of the land based actions we have done for this campaign. In the second week of August the Esperanza crew reported a contact they had with a Belgian fisherman at the Dogger Bank region to us landlubbers in Hamburg. It took us a while to find out that they also got the bycatch from two hours trawling from the same fisherman. This so called bycatch is the left overs after the marketable fish has been taken out from a haul. It is treated as waste - in this case 11,000 dead animals that would have been thrown over board dead or dying.

On August 18, we presented this bycatch to the public in Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate - one of the most famous places in Germany. The marine creatures were shown on a 100 metre long table and the public reaction was simply amazing. Every single visitor passing the table wanted to hear where it was from and what the background story was. We explained in German, English, Italian, Spanish, Greek and sometimes with hand and feet what this was all about: the reality of fishing in the North Sea! Our call for other fishing methods and large marine reserves is supported by the many people signing our petition.

The story made it big time in the media and we received many phone calls in the following days from interested people and politicians. Two days later we did the same activity in Copenhagen at the city hall - with the same public reaction. Also Munich's Marinenplatz was visited some days later and the campaign message made it to the southern part of Germany.

- Thilo

Posted by Elaine

cool action!

Posted by: Erik (bonzz) at September 9, 2004 09:51 PM

Gday Thilo
Just a message of congrates and wot a nasty piece of work .Has put me off my friday fish for sure and now hav decided im only eating fish i catch.Keep up the fight and good work as i sense their is time for change in all are farming and fishing practises as the people become more aware about where there food come s from.
Anyway mate take care and dont eat the fish ....unless you catch it.....

Ps luv your work

Posted by: erin at September 10, 2004 05:02 AM